what dress makes of us

PREFACE .

ID you ever observe,dear

comrade,what an element

of caricature lurks in clothes ? A

ll

short,round coat on a stout man

seems to exaggerate his propor

t ions to such a ridiculous degree

vi PREFACE

that the profi le o f his manly form

suggests “ the robust bulge of an

old jug.

%

A bonnet decorated with loops

of ribbon and sprays of grass,or

flowers that fall aslant,may give a

laughably tipsy air to the long

face of a sai ntly matron of pious

and conservative habits.

A peaked hat and tight-fitt ing,

long-skirted coat may so magnify

the meagre physical endowments

of a tall,slender girl that she at

tains the lank and longish look

of a bottle of hock.

Oh % the mocking diablery in

strings , wisps of untidy hair, queer

trimmings,and l imp hats . Alas %

that they should have such imp

PREFACE VI

ish power to detract from the

dign ity o f woman and render man

absurd .

Because of his comical att ire,an

em inent Oxford divine,whose l i fe

and works commanded reverence,

was once mistaken for an ancient

PREFACE

New England spinster in emanc i

pated garments. H is smoothly

shaven face,framed in crinkly

,

gray locks,was surmounted by a

soft,l itt le

,round hat

,from the up

turned brim o f which dangled a

broken string. H is long frock

coat reached to just above his

loosely fitting ga i ters .

The fluttering string,Whose only

reason for being at all was to keep

the queer head-gear from sail ing

away on the wind,gave a touch of

the ludicrous to the boyish hat

which,in its turn

,lent more drol

lery than dignity to the sanctified

face of the old theologian . Who

has not seen just such,or a simi

lar s ight,% and laughed ? Who has

PREFACE

not,with the generos ity common

to us all,concluded these were

the m istakes and self-delus ions of

neighbors,relat ives

,and friends

,

i n which we had no share

I understand how it is with you .

I am one of you . Before I studied

ou r common errors I smiled at

my ne ighbor’s lack of taste,re

constructed my friends,and cast

contemptuous crit ic ism upon my

enemies. One day I took a look

at myself,and real ized that “ I

,

too , am laughable on unsuspected

occas ions .

”

The humbl ing knowledge of see

ing myself object ively,gave me

courage to speak to the heart of

you certai n home truths wh ich

PREFACE

concern us all,in homely language

which we can all understand.

That you may discern the comi

cality and waggery in ill-chosen

clothes,I have endeavored to hint

to you in these talks some of the

ways gew-gaws and garments make

game of us .

May you discover that your

dress is not making you a laugh

able object but i f,by any chance

,

you should note that your clothes

are caricaturing you,take heart.

Enjoy the joke with the mirth

that heals and heartens,and speed

ily correct your mistakes .

The l ines of your form,the mod

ell ing of your face,are they not

worthy of your discern ing thought ?

PREFACE

Tru ly % Whatever detracts from

them detracts from sculpture,paint

ing,and poetry

,and the world is

the loser.

A word to the th inking is suffi

c ient.

CONTENTS.

PRE FACE

CHAPTER I .

How WOMEN OF CERTAIN TYPES

SHOU LD DRESS THE IR HAIR

Style forWedge-Shaped FacesStyle for Heavy JawsStyle for E yes Set To o H ighStyle for E yes Set Too LowStyle for Long Faces with LongNoses

For Faces wi th P ro truding Noses

CHAPTER I I .

H INTS FOR THE SE LECT ION OF

B ECOMING AND AP PROPRIATESTYLES IN HEAD-GEARThe Magic o f the B onnet

J(i i i

xiv CONTENTS

PAGE

Style forWomen with B ro ad Faceand H eavy Ch in

Style for Women wi th TaperingCh in

Hat fo r the ChubbyWomanFor

’

WomenWho H ave Sharp andP rominen t P rofi les

For the Woman w i th an AngularFace

Women Who should No t WearI I orns

CHAPTER I I I .LINES THAT SHOULD B E RE COGN IZED

AND CONSIDERED IN MA% INGCOSTUMESStyle for T all Slender WomanThe Co at the Sho rt Stout Woman

should WearThe Clo ak or Cape for a Tall

Woman

CHAPTER IV.

How P LUMP AND THIN B AC % SSHOULD BE CLOTHED

CONTENTS % V

CHAPTER V.

PAGE

CORSAGESAPPROPRIATE FOR WOMEN

W ITH UNBEAUT IFULLY MOD

ELLED THROATS AND SHOULDERS

CHAPTER VI .

H INTS ON DRESS FOR E LDERLYWOMEN

CHAPTER VII .

How MEN CARICATURE THEMSELVESW ITH THE IR CLOTHES

WHAT DRESS MA% ES OF US.

CHAPTER I .

HOW WOMEN OF CERTA IN TYPE SSHOULD DRE SS THE IR HAIR.

HE pleas ing,but somewhat

audacious statement of the

clever wr iter who asserted,I n the

mercifu l scheme of nature,there

are no pla in women,

” is not as dis

putable as it may seem . H onest

husbands , to be sure,greet

“

the

2 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

i nformation with dissent ing guf

faws % gay deceivers reflect upon

its truth by gallantly assenting to

i t,with a mocking l ittle twinkle in

their eyes and pretty women , upon

hearing it,remark sententiously

'

B l ind men and fools may think

so .

”

D iscern ing students O f wo

mankind,however

,know that i f

every woman would make the best

o f her poss ib il i ties,physically

,men

tally,and spiritually

,i t would be

del ightfully probable that “ i n the

merciful scheme of nature there

need be no plain women .

H ave we not Lord Chesterfield ’

s

word for it,that “ NO woman is

ugly when she is dressed

I t is no unworthy study to learn

DRE SSING THE HAIR 3

to make the best o f,and to do jus

t ice to,one ’s self. Apropos of th is

to begin where all fascinat ing

subjects should begin—rat the head

,

i t behooves every woman who

wishes to appear at her best , to

study the modell ing o f her face

that she may understand both its

defect ive and perfect l ines . By a

proper arrangement O f her hair a

woman can do much to obscure or

so ften her bad features,and he ight

en the charm o f her good ones .

Romancers have written,and

poets have sung, of the bewitch

ment in nut-brown locks,golden

tresses,and j etty curls . Every

woman,i f so incl ined

,may prove

for herself the transfiguring effect

4 WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US

in a becoming co i ffu re. I n fact,

the beauty o f a woman ’s face and

her apparent age are greatly af

fected by the way she wears her hair.

A most important detai l that too

few consider,is

,the proper direc

t ion in which to comb the hair.

Women l iterally toss their tresses

together without any attent ion to

the natural incl ination of the ind i

vidual strands or fibres. They

comb their hair against the grain .

Those who do so never have beau

t ifully and smoothly arranged co if

fures . Each l ittle h irsute fi lament

has a rebell ious tendency to go

in the direction nature intended it

should,and refuses to stay where

it is put,

” giving the head in con

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join


from the picture,pays l ittle atten

t ion to the natural tendency of the

dark tresses that cover her shapely

head. The bang has the di

shevelled appearance of a pile o f

j ack-straws . The side-locks instead

of being combed or brushed to fol

low the contour of the head,fall

loosely and fly in opposite d irec

t ions .

The di fference in appearance be

tween the women o f the smart sets

in America and those of less fash

ionable circles is due,in a great

measure,to the beautifully dressed

co iffures of the former. A hair

dresser arranges,at least once a

week,the hair of the modish woman

if her maid does not understand the

DRE SS ING THE HAIR 7

art of hair-dressing. Many women

of the wealthy world have thei r

maids taught by a French co iffeur.

A wise woman will adopt a pre

vail ing mode with discretion , for

what may be essent ially appropriate

for one,may be fatally inappropri

ate for another. I n adjusting her“ crown of glory a woman must

cons ider the proportions of her face.

She Shou ld be able to discern

whether her eyes are too near the

top of her head or,too far below

whether she has a square or wedge

shaped ch in % a lean , long face , or a

round and bount ifully curved one .

She should be alert to her defects

and study never to emphas ize nor

exaggerate them .

8 WHAT DRE SS MAKES OF US

Why,through stupid ity or care

lessness,make a cartoon of yourself

,

when with a proper apprec iat ion of

your possibil i t ies you can be a pleas

ing picture ? I t is just as glor ious

to be a fine picture or a poem as i t

is to paint the one,or write the

other. I ndeed,a woman who har

moniously develops the best with in

her has the charm o f an exquisite

poem and insp ires poets to s ing %and if by the grace and beauty of

her dress she enhances her natural

endowments and makes herself a

pleasing picture,the world becomes

her debtor.

I n the important matter o f be

com ingly arranging the ha i r,the

following sketches and suggest ions

DRE SSING THE HAIR 9

may h int to bright,th inking, women

what styles to choose or avoid.

For Wedge-Shaped Faces .

The least-d iscern ing eye can see

that the wedge-shaped face No . 3

i s caricatured,

No. 3 No . 4

and its triangular proport ions made

more ev ident,by allowing the hair

to extend in curls or a fluffy bang

on either s ide of the the head .

Women w ith del icately modelled

faces w ith peaked ch ins should

I O WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

avo id these broad effects above

their brows .

I t is obvious in the sketch No. 4,

that the wedge-shaped face is per

cept ibly improved by wearing the

hair in soft waves,or curls closely

confined to the head and by arranging a coil or high puff j ust above

and in front of the crown . This

arrangement gives a desirable oval

effect to the face,the Sharp promi

nence of the chin being counter

acted by the surmounting puffs.

For H eavy Jaws .

I t may readily be seen that a

woman with the square,heavy

jawed face pictured by NO . 5 ,

should not adopt a stra ight,or

DRE SSING THE HA IR

nearly stra ight,bang

,nor wear her

hair low on her forehead,nor ad

just the greater portion O f her hair

so that the co i l cannot be seen

above the crown of her head. The

low bang brings into stri king rel ief

al l the hard l ines o f her face and

gives the impress ion that she has

pugil ist ic tendencies .

To insure artist ic balance to her

countenance,and bring out the

womanly strength and vital power

of her face,her hair should be ar

ranged in co ils,puffs

,or braids that

will give breadth to the top o f her

head as shown by No . 6. A fluffy,

softly curled bang adds grace to

the forehead and gives it the nec

essary broadness it needs to lessen

NO.

1 2 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

and l ighten the heaviness of the

lower part of the face. A bow of

ribbon,or an aigrette of feathers

,

w i l l add effectively the crown of

braids or puffs which a wise woman

with a square j aw will surmount

her brow i f she wishes to subdue

the too aggressive,

fighting qual i

t ies of her strong Chin .No. 6

For Short Faces .

The sisterhood who have short,

chubby faces should,in a measure

,

observe certain rules that apply in

a smal l degree to those who have

heavy chins.

As may be observed even with a

casual glance,the l ittle short-faced

woman dep icted by No. 7, causes

NO . 8

I 4 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

immensely improved by the ar

rangement of the coiffure in No .

8 ? By combing her hair o ff her

forehead her face acquires a look

of alertness and intell igence,be

s ides being apparently lengthened .

She can wear her bang in soft

crimps brushed back from her

brow,if th is plain arrangement is

too severe.

For Eyes Set Too High .

A low forehead is supposed to

be a sign o f beauty in woman .

The brows of the famous Venuses

are low and broad . Perhaps for

this reason many women wear their

hair arranged low upon their fore

heads . Whether the hai r should

DRESSING THE HAIR I S

be worn low on the brow depends

ch iefly on two things,

“ the setting

o f the eyes,and the qual ity of the

facef’

A good rule to observe is the

artist ic one,to the effect that “ the

eyes of a woman should be in the

m iddle of her head .

” That is,i f

an imaginary l ine were drawn across

the top of the head and another

below the ch in,exactly m idway

between the two the eyes should

be set.

The Japanese type of woman

shou ld carefully observe the fore

gomg hint.

Observe No . 8-15

. Nature has not

been art ist ic . The eyes are too

near the top of the head . The


defect is exaggerated and empha

s ized by the wearing o f the hair

low on the forehead. I n some

faces of this type the face is brutal

ized in appearance by this arrange

ment. The expression and whole

qual ity of the countenance can be

greatly improved by arranging the.

hair as shown by No . 9 , which is

the soft Pompadour style. The

Duchess of Marlborough,formerly

Consuelo Vanderbilt,frames her

naive,Winsome face

,which is O f

the japanese type, i n a style some

what l ike this. H er dark hair

forms an aureole above her brow,

and brings into rel ief the dainty,oval form of her face. Even s im

ply brushing the hair O ff the fore

DRESSING THE HAIR I 7

head without crimp or roll will

improve the appearance of this

type of face and give i t a better

artist ic balance.

For Eyes Set Too Low.

Women whose eyes are set too

far down in their faces should

adopt a mode Of arranging their

hair exactly the Opposite o f those

whose eyes are set too near the

top of their heads .

I t is apparent that NO . I O exag

gerates the d istance of her eyes

from the crown O f her head,and

makes them appear to be set lower

than they really are by bu i lding

her hair h igh,and by brush ing her

bang back so severely from her

NO. 10

NO . 1 1

1 8 WHAT DRE SS MAKES OF US

brow. A bald forehead is rarely

becoming to any woman . A few

stray curls or soft waves lend grace

to even the most perfect of brows.

By bringing the hair down over

the forehead,as suggested in No .

I I,a woman with this type of face

can easily improve her appearance.

By this graceful arrangement her

face loses the childish and some

times stup id express ion that is

pecul iar to the type,as may be dis

cerned in No . I O . When the hair

is properly arranged this element

o f childl ikeness lends a certain ap

peal ing sweetness not unattractive

even in the faces of matured ma

trons . By dressing the hair low

so the co il does not appear above

DRESSING THE HAIR 19

the crown,as In No . I I

,the eyes

are apparently properly placed.

For Long Faces With Long

qses .

The woman who wears her silken

tresses arranged on either s ide of

her head,draped l ike curtains from

a central parting,is to be envied i f

she can do it and yet look young

and pretty. She is the Madonna

type and seems to possess all the

attributes of gentleness,modesty

,

and meekness,and angel ic sweet

ness that are supposed to character

ize the dist inctively femin ine wo

man . This is the ideal style of

coiffure much bepraised by man,

because,according to a bright mod


ern Amazon,i t makes a woman

look so meek.

The only type to which i t is

really becoming is the I tal ian .

The type with medi a complexion,

soft eyes,

finely chiselled nose,and

m % del icately oval ch in,look ideally

sweet and feminine with the hair

arranged c‘

z la% Madonna.

Long faces of the form p ictured

by No . 1 2 exaggerate the long

ness and leanness of the ir faces by

wearing their locks l ike looped

curtains. A long nose with two

NO ”

long l ines on either s ide o f the

cheek seems longer than it is,as

the observer may discern three

l ines instead of only the nasal one,

and the impression of longness is

NO . 1 6


faced woman . The arrangement

sketched in No . 1 5 adds effectively

to her appearance,not only mak

ing her look younger,but less in

ane.

For Faces with Protruding Noses .

Women w i th decidedly pro trud

ing,or i rregular

,t ip-t i lted noses

should be espec ially careful in ar

ranging their co iffures.

Any woman who arranges her

hair as in sketch NO . 1 6 caricatures

her facial defects by increas ing the

too protuberant l ines of her nose.

The distance from the end of her

nose and the tip of the topmost

knot of hair is too long for either

beauty or Intell igence. The shape

DRE SSING THE HA IR 23

o f her head acqu ires idiotic pro

port ions,and her nose is placed

entirely “ out of drawing ” and is

obtrus ively conspicuous when seen

in profi le. This type of woman is

generally class ified among the in

qu isit ive , bright,and energeti c.

She Should aim to modify the un

happy angularity o f her profile as

wel l as to repress her gossipy tend

encies. The graduated coil of hair

and waved coiffure,shown by No .

I 7, are most fel ic itous in their effect

on this type Of face.

NO . 1 8 reveals an error in an op

po site direct ion . The snubbed

nose girl,by fix ing her hair i n a

bun-l ike coil,gives the impression

that her coiffure is held by invis

No. 1 7

NO . 1 9

24 WHAT DRESS MAKE S OF US

ible strings by her nose,which gets

a more elevated look than it other

wise would have,because of the

bad angle at which the coi l i s

placed .

No . 1 9 , wh ich is a picturesque

variation of the popular co i f, mani

festly improves this type of face ,and makes the nose appear less

obtrus ive.

A woman should carefully study

the contour of her head from every

s ide % the modell ing of her face %the length and incl inat ion of her

nose the sett ing of her eyes % and

the breadth and form Of her brow,

and adopt a becoming co iffure that

will give artistic balance to her

face,and never absolutely change

DRESSING THE HAIR 25

the style whatever the mode in

hair-dressing may be. I n Eng

land,the court hair

d re s s e r year s ago

stud ied the character

o f the head and face

of the Princess of

Wales,and designed

a c o i ffu r e f o r h e r

which she has never

varied unti l recently

then she merely ar

range d h e r f r i nge

lower down on herm m

forehead than she has ever worn

i t before. The general style , how

ever,she preserves intact

,and

wears her hair,and has for many

years,as is shown in the picture


No . 20 . H er daughters,who have

faces the same shape as hers,dress

their coi ffures s imilarly. I n never

changing the style of arranging

her hair,the

'

Princess of Wales

owes in no small degree her ap

parent air O f youthfulness.

No MATTER WHAT THE PRE

VAILING STYLE THE SE RULES MAY

BE PRACTICALLY APPLIED .

CHAPTER I I .

H INTS FOR THE SE LECTION OF

BECOM ING AND APPROPRIATE STYLE SIN HEAD-GEAR.

LOSE LY all i ed to the sub

ject of hai r-dressing is that

of head-gear. I ndeed many of the

hints regard ing appropriate coif

fures for certain styles O f faces are

equally appl icable to the selection

o f su itable hats and bonnets.

The choosing of mi ll inery is the

more momentous of the two,of

27

28 WHAT DRESS MAKE S OF Us

course,for I need scarcely remind

you that Nature left us no cho ice

in hai r. NO matter what its color

or texture we des ire to keep it and

i f we are Wise we will make the

best o f i t.

I n regard to hats we are person

ally responsible and our fo l l ies are

upon our our own heads .

The power of caricature be ing

greater in hats than in hair-dress

ing,is i t not fi t that we should give

careful and intell igent considera

t ion to the selection of our mill inery

that the ugly l ines in our other

wise beaut iful faces may not be at

the mercy of mocking bunches of

ribbons,com ically t ilted straws

,or

floppy b its of lace ?


to the king,that there was an Old

woman in h is domain that was

ugl ier than the lowly-born man

who by kingly favor held so high

a place. Bring her to the court.

judges shall be called to decide.

I f she is uglier she shall stay and

he shall go,

” was the royal man

date. When the Old woman ap

peared she was easily decided to

be by far the ugl ier o f the two .

At the crit ical moment when the

king was upon the eve o f dis

missing the man from his ret

inue,a friend of the unfortunate

shouted,Put her bonnet on him

This was done,and lo % a fearfu l

change was wrought. By unan i

mous acclamation he was declared

H INTS FOR HEAD-GEAR 3 I

to be “ the ugl iest creature on

earth .

”

The old woman,true to the in

st incts Of her sex,refused to wear

her bonnet again . L ike many of

her sisters of modern t imes,she

had not before discovered the pos

sibilit ies i n a bonnet to enhance

the beauty of the face or decrease

its charms .

I f women could see themselves

obj ectively, as did the Old woman,

they would keenly real ize the meces

s ity of considering the l ines of hat

or bonnet in relat ion to those of

their faces,and wou ld learn to

obscure defects and bring into

prominence their prett iest features .

As there are a few ru les to gov

NO . 22


ern what each type should select,

every one O f the fair s isterhood has

an equal opportun ity to improve

her appearance by selecting in the

mill inery l ine the dist inctive adorn

ment su ited t o her individual style.

ForWomenWith Broad Face and

H eavy Chin .

By a curious law of contrariety

the woman w ith a broad,heavy

chin seems to have an ungovern

able penchant for trig l ittle round

bonnets,or trim turbans with perky

aigrettes,l ike that in sketch NO . 2 2 .

By obeying this wilful preference

she obscures whatever del icacymay be in the modell ing of her

features and brings into consp icu

H INTS FOR HEAD-GEAR 33

ous rel ief the ugl iest l ines of her

face. H er ch in IS apparently in

creased in heaviness

and the broadness of

her face is made prom

inent . S h e c o u l d

eas ily have restored

the art ist ic balance

to her facial l ines by

wearing a large hat,

l\\

rather heavily trim NO- Zs

med,as in NO . 23 , thus effect ively

modifying the strong curves of the

chin and signally improving her

appearance. I f a woman ’s face is

fai rly proport ioned,not too short

for i ts breadth,and she can not

afford plumes,th is type of woman

can st il l g ive a becom ing balance


to her face by adopting hats that

are trimmed with flamboyant bows

that flare horizontally across the

hat,diverging from a central knot

in the front.

For the Woman w ith Tapering

Chin .

The woman who is the exact

opposite of the type with the am

ple lower jaw,but

whose chief disad

vantage l ies in her

broad,manly brow

and tiny tapering

chin,should avo i d

N°' 24 all horizontal trim

mings , bows or broad hat-brims . I t

is clear,in No . 24, that such trim

H INTS FOR HEAD-GEAR 3 5

m ings increase the wedge-l ike ap

pearance of the face and give i t

the grotesque sugges

t ion o f an ordinary

flower -pot in which

grows a sickly plant.

This type can per

cept ibly improve up

on nature by choos

ing the style of bat

and neck-gear shown

by No . 2 5 .

The crinkly ovals that form the

brim of the hat,and the so ft

,grace

No. 25

ful arrangement of the hair in front

that decreases the too broad effect

of the brow,and the full fluffy ruff

snuggled up closely to the Chin,pro

duce a pleas ing transformation of

No . 26


the meagre-looking original that to

the un in itiated seems l ittle short

of magical . The broad,cravat

l ike bows,and the flaring ones

known as incroyables,

” were be

neficently i nvented for women with

wedge-l ike faces and throats that

have lost the seductive curves of

youth .

Hat for the Chubby Woman .

That amiab le type of woman

formed conspicuously upon the

circular plan,often unconsc iously

impresses the fact of her fatal tend

ency to rotundity by repeating the

roundness of her globular eyes,the

disk-l ike appearance of her snub

nose and the circle of her round

NO . 28


the lapels on the corsage,the neat

throat-band and V-shaped vesture—all ins inuate in a most engaging

way a dignity and fine,high-bred

po ise totally obl iterated by the cir

cular style of dress erroneously

adopted by the misguided woman

in No . 26.

ForWomen Who Have Sharp and

Prominent Profiles .

I n buying a hat many of the

unfair sex —as the modern wag

clubs the progressive s isters who

wish to have all man ’s rights and

privileges and keep their own be

s ides—never seem to consider the ir

heads but from a front point of

V iew. In consequence,as sketch


No 28 hints,a head seen from the

side frequently appears,i f not idi

o t ically,very inart istic

ally,proportioned .

Occasionally a hat

presents as comical an

effect in a front as i n

a s ide view,as may be

seen in NO . 29 . The “0 29

wearer was an elderly woman with

gray hair which hung down in a

half-curled bang on either s ide of

her thin face. H er hat which was

simply dripp ing with feathers

suggested a fanciful letter “ T ”

and exaggerated the th inness O f

her face in a remarkably funny way.

The feathers overhanging the brim

increased the broadness of the hat,


and looked singularly waggish flut

tering aga inst the spriggy-looking

projections of gray hair.

The rules for the wedge

sh ap e d fa c e,as may

readily be discerned,

apply here .

W omen wh o h ave

sharp and prom inently

outl ined profi les have

NOS. 3O AND 3 1 a curious tendency to

choose hats,the brims of which

project too far forward in front,

and turn up too abruptly and un

graceful ly in the back.

As shown in NO . 30 the pro

trud ing brim gives the head and

face the unattract ive proportions

of the cap ital letter “ F. The

III NTS FOR HEAD-GEAR 41

length Ifthe nose is emphas ized

by the l ine of the hat-rim above it

and i t appears unduly obtrusive.

The flat arrangement of the hair

and the curve of the hat-brim in

the back also exaggerate the obtru

s ive qual it ies of the features. By

choos ing a hat somewhat s imilar to

the one sketched in NO . 3 1 , the un

attract ive sharpness o f the profi le

is modified,and the alert

,agree

able qual i ty of‘

the face,that was

obscured by the shelf-l ike brim,

becomes apparent. The observer

feels,if he does not vo ice it

,that it

is a progressive Sp ll‘

lt advancing

forward instead of an ungainly

head-p iece that looks l ike a curious

trowel .

42 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF Us

For the Woman with an Angular

Face.

The woman with the angular

features presented in No 3 2 should

Nos. 32 AND 33

not wear a sailor-hat

or any hat w i th a per

fectly straight rim .

The sa i l o r-h at or

any style bordering on

it should be selected

with utmost discrim in

ation . This mode is

unbecoming to a wo

man more than forty %or

,to one who through

grief or worry prema

turely attains a look of age , or to

one whose features are i rregular.

The straight brim across the face


is very trying. I t casts a shadow

deepen ing the “ old marks and

instead o f being a frame to set o ff,

it seems to cut o ff,the face at an

inart ist ic angle.

The woman with angular feat

ures,as may be seen by NO . 33 ,

can wear with impunity,and always

should wear,a hat the brim of

which is waved,turned

,twisted

,or

curved i n gracefu l l ines . The un

even brim o f her hat makes an

effect ive complement to the angu

larity of her ch in , which is further

softened by the feathery ruff that

enc ircles her throat. The curves

of the ostrich plumes,and the

studied carelessness of the arrange

ment of her coiffure , subdue the


angles of her face wh ich are brought

out in unbecom ing prominence by

the sai lor-hat.

Women Who Should Not Wear

II orns.

The velvet horns on e ither s ide

of a hat,the steeple-l ike central

adornments that were once much

in favor,and the Mercury w ings

that ornament the co iffure for even

ing dress,produce some startl ing

,

disagreeable,and amusing effects

not altogether uninteresting to con

s ider.

Faces in which the eyes are set

too near the forehead acquire a

scared look by being surmounted

by a bonnet upon wh ich the trim

46 WHAT DRESS MAKES OF Us

duced by Mercury wings . The

good-natured woman of the famil

iar type dep icted in

No . 34 brings every

bovine attribute of

her placid counten

ance into conspicuous

r e l i e f by surmount

ing her face with the

w i ngs o f t h e fleet

footed god. The cow-l ike form and

serenity of her features are made

laughably obvious.

Short,del icately - faced women

can adorn their coi ffures with Mer

cury wings with most charmingresults . W ings

,or perpendicular

bows,add length to the l ines of the

short face,giving it a certain sug

HINTS FOR HEAD-GEAR 47

gest ion of refinement and dist inc

t ion that is wholly destroyed by

the wearing of any trimm ings that

Show at the sides .

NO MATTE R WHAT THE PREVAIL

ING STYLE THE SE RULES MAY BE

PRACTICALLY APPLIED.

CHAPTER I I I .

LINE S THAT SHOULD BE RECOGNIZEDAND CONS IDERED IN MAK ING

COSTUME S.

ME . La Mode , much m isrepresented as are all who are

embarrassed with world-wide popu

larity, always considers when de

s igning fashions that women vary

in form,as in mood . She su its al l

needs,although this fact has never

been cast to her credit. W i th a

beautiful sense o f adjustment—as48

MAKING COSTUMES 49

Obvious as that in Nature,that pro

jects the huge watermelon to ripen

on a Slender vine on the ground and

swings a greengage plum on the

stout stem o f a tree to mature in

storm or shine—Mme . La Mode,ar

biter of styles,balances her fashions.

Never came the big hat w ithout

the small bonnet. Accompany ing

the long cloak is the never-fa i l ing

short cape. S ide by side may be

found the long coat and the short,

natty jacket. This equ il ibrium in

wearing apparel may be traced

through all the vagaries of fash ion .

Everybody’s need has been con

sidered , but everybody has not

cons idered her need.

The sho rt, stout woman passes


by the long coat better adapted to

her and seizes a short jacket—a

homeopathic tendency of l ike suit

ing like,sometimes efficacious in

medicine,but fatal in style.

S tyle for Tall S lender Woman .

The very tall,slender woman fre

quently ignores a jaunty jacket and

takes a long coat l ike that shown

in No . 36.

To even the sluggish fancy of an

unimaginat ive observer she sug

gests a champagne bottle,and to

the ready wit she hints of no end O f

amusing possibil it ies for caricature.

The very tall woman should

know that long l ines from shoulder

to foot give height,and she must

MAKING COSTUMES 5 1

discern ingly strive to avo id length

of l ine in her garments until she

dons the ra iment o f the angels.

Nos. 36 AND 37

H orizontal l ines cross ing the figure seem to decrease he ight

,and

should be used as much as possible

in the arranging and tr imm ing of

the tall woman ’s garments.

5 2 WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US

By selecting a shorter coat equal

lymodish , as Shown by No . 3 7, the

too tall woman shortens her figure

percept ibly.

The belt cuts o ff from her height

in a fel ic itous way,and the collar

,

also horizontal,materially improves

the s ize of her throat. The h igh

collar,such as finishes the coat

,in

No . 36 , adds to the length . Those

who have too long arms can use

horizontal bands on sleeves most

advantageously.

The Coat the Short S toutWoman

should Wear.

The short jacket that so gracious

ly improved the appearance of the

Slender specimen of femininity is


coat,shown in picture No . 39.

The V-shaped vesture gives her a

longer waist,and the long l ines of

the revers add to the length of her

skirt. I f her hips are too promi

nent,she should avoid having any

tight-fitt ing garments that bring the

fact into rel ief. She should not

wear the long coat,but she can ef

fectivelymodify it to su it her needs ,by only having a skirt

,or tabs

,or

finishing straps in the back. I f her

jacket or basque is fin ished Off w ith

a sk irt effect,i t is best to have the

l ittle skirt swerve away just at the

hip-l ine,half reveal ing and half con

cealing i t.

The front should be made in a

jacket effect,

fin ish ing just at the

MAK ING COSTUME S 5 5

waist-l ine and open ing over a blouse

front that will conceal the waist

l ine. I t is best for the too short,

stout woman to obscure her waist

l ine as much as poss ible,to appar

ently give her increase of he ight .

To put the waist-l ine h igh up

adds to length of l imb,and

,of

course,is to be des ired

,but the

fact that what is added below is

taken from above the wa ist,shoul d

impel carefu l discrim ination in the

arrangement of th is equatorial

band.

The Cloak or Cape for a Tall

Woman .

The long circular cloak i s an

other graceful garment that can be


worn with Charming effect by the

woman of class i c height,but should

No . 40

never be in the ward

robe o f a very tall wo

man except for use at

the opera,when its ser

vice is ch iefly requ ired

in the carriage,or when

its wearer is s itt ing. I t

is so obvious,i n sketch

No . 40 ,that the vertical

l ines the folds O f the

cloak naturally fall into

give a steeple-l ike appearance to

the tal l woman it enfolds,that i t is

scarcely necessary to comment upon it.

That her judic ious selection

should have been the short cape ,

MAK ING COSTUMES 57

wh ich comes,as al l capes should

,

to be artist ic,well below the

elbows,is clearly illus

trated i n p icture No .

4 1 . Th e horizontal

trimming very becom

ingly p lays its part in

the generally improv

ing effect.

The one who can

wear the long Cloak

in an unchal lengeable

manner is the Short,

“0- 41

stout woman,shown in sketch No.

42 .

By wearing the short cape w ith

c ircu lar,

fluffy collarette,sketched

in No. 43 , she g ives herself the

look of a smothered,affrighted


Cochin China chicken % or, as an

imaginative school-girl remarked

Nos. 42 AND 43

of her mother who wore a cape of

similar style,

“ she looks as i f her

neck were encirled by bunches of

asparagus .

The mil itary dignity she acqu ires

by wearing the long cape is becom

ing to a degree,and gives her d is

t inction in form.

MAK ING COSTUMES 59

By remembering that horizontal

trimmings apparently decrease the

he ight,and that vertical l ines add

to it,those who desire to appear

at their best wi ll use discernment

in div id ing their basques w ith

yokes,or corsage mountings at the

bust-l ine or fr i lls at the h ip-l ine.

A flounce on the corsage at the

bust-l ine,another at the h ip-l ine.

and yet another at the bottom of

the sh irt,increases the impress ion

of bu lkiness most aggress ively and

g ives a barrel-l ike appearance to

the form of a stout woman that is

decidedly funny, as may be seen

i n sketch No . 44.

A study of the l ines o f the form

w ill not only aid one in adopt ing a


more becom ing style o f dress,but

will sharpen the artist ic percept ions,

thus adding to the joy o f l ife.

No . 44

A beautifu l form is better

than a beautifu l face ” and Should

be clothed so that its l ines may

appear at their best,and not

be exaggerated and caricatured.

The figure is seen many more

times than the face,and the de

feets of the former are more con

sp icuous than those Of the latter.

CHAPTER IV.

HOW PLUMP AND TH IN BACKS SHOULDBE CLOTHED.

HE was from the middle-West,

and despite the fact that she

was married,and that twenty-one

hal f-blown blush roses had en

wreathed her last birthday cake,she

had the alert,qu izz ical brightness of

a chi ld who challenges everybody

and everything that passes with the

countersign Why She inves

t igated New York with unabashed62

PLUMP AND THIN BACKS 63

i nterest,and

,l ike many another

superior provinc ial,she freely ex

pressed her l ikes and disl ikes for

its traditions,show-places

,and peo

ple with a commanding and amus

ing audacity.

H er Objections were numerous .

The Chief one that made a deep

impression upon her metropo l itan

friends was her disapproval of

Sarah Bernhardt ’s acting. The

middle-Westerner,instead of be

coming ecstatic in her admirat ion,

and at a loss for adject ives at the

appearance of the divine Sarah,

merely perked at the great French

art ist for some time and then de

manded,querulously %

“ What ’s

the matter with her ? Why does


she play so much with her back to

the audience ? I don ’t l ike it. ”

I t was a shock to the adorers O f

Sarah Bernhardt to hear her so

irreverently crit icised. They loy

ally united in her defence,and

sought to squelch the revolter by

lofti ly explain ing that the actress

turned her back so O ften to the

aud ience because she had such a

noble,generous nature and desired

to give the other actors a chance.

She lets them take the centre of

the stage,as they say in the pro

fession,remarked one of the party

,

who prided hersel f upon b eing

versed in the argot’ of the theatre.

But she plays with her back to

the audience when she is speak ing

PLUMP AND TH IN BACKS 65

and acting,and everybody else on

the stage is st il l but he rself,

” petu

lantly ins isted the Western Phil is

t ine,showing no s igns O f defeat .

The situation was not wholly

agreeable . The worsh ippers of

Sarah could Say nothing more in

just ificat ion O f her turn ing her back

on them,but

,with true feminine

logic,concluded

,

“ I f Sarah Bern

hardt turns her back on the audi

ence i t is right,and that is all there

is to say.

Just at th is dramatic moment a

voice from the adjo in ing row provi

dent ially interposed . The vo i ce

belonged to a well-known exponent

of physical culture,who was never

so happy as when instructing the


intellectual ly needy. She said “ I

wi ll tel l you Why she plays with

her back towards the aud ience

more than any other actress upon

the stage to-day.

” The middle

Westerner,no less impressed than

her metropol itan friends,l istened

eagerly.

The exponent of straight backs

and high chests explained didactic

ally %“ The back is wonderfully

express ive % indeed it is full of v ital

expression . Bernhardt knows this

better than any other actress be

cause she has studied statuary w ith

the pass ion of a sculptor,and be

cause she understands that,not only

the face,but the ent ire phys ical

structure,is capable of express ing


dramat ic emotions . Strong feel ing

and act ion may be strikingly re

vealed by the back. Imprecations,

denunciations,even prayers

,seem

to be charged with more force when

an actress del ivers them with her

back turned,or half-turned to the

aud ience.

Bernhardt ’s back expresses a

storm of fury when she imprecates

vengeance,

” said the voice of au

thority.

“ Not only on the stage

is the express ion of the back dis

cernible, and a knowledge of its

character valuable,but in every-day

l i fe in drawing-room and street.

H ow many women consider the ir

backs when they dress ? Look at

the backs here deformed by laces


and fallals,she went on contempt

uously.

“ The majority of women

never look below the i r chins and I

bel ieve not one in ten ever looks

thoughtfully at her back,

” she said

emphatically.

The dramatic value of a well

po ised,express ive back may only

concern the thousands of young

women who are aspiring to be a

Sarah Bernhardt or a Rachel % but

a know ledge of what constitutes a

properly and artistically clothed

back should be of interest to all

women in civil ized countries .

That there is much truth in the

assertion that “ the majority of

women never look below their

ch ins,and not o ne in ten ever looks

No. 46


safety-p in displayed in No . 46, goes

out o f vogue,the time-honored

custom of sewing hooks to the

waist-band of the dress,i s always in

fashion . I ndeed,many women pre

fer this way O f connecting separate

skirt and waist to using a consp icu

ous pin . This is almost too trivial

a detail to discourse upon,but it is

as true that details make dress as

it is that trifles make l ife ” and

neither l ife nor dress is a trifle.

The O ffence in No . 45 is more

the result of untidiness than of

a lack of art istic discriminat ion .

Nos. and 47, on the contrary,outrage the laws of art

,and disp lay

ignorance of the value and beauty

of l ines.

PLUMP AND THIN BACKS 7 1

No . 46% might serve to conceal

a deformity of the shoulders . That

really seems its only ex

cuse for being. The

full,ugly

,straight pleat

that falls to just below

th e wa i s t - l i n e l e n ds

neither grace nor style

to the figure. I t is too

short to give the dis

t inction and dign ity that

handsome wraps with

long l ines almost invari

ably do,although they seem to add

age to the form . There is a h int

O f youth in th is ungraceful j acket

to be sure,but it is not especially

attract ive in its suggest ion of youth

fulness.


No . 47, with a l ine at the neck

band,crossed bands in the centre

of the shoulders,and

lines across the back,

is obviously inartistic.

The back of a Venus,

even,would be detract

ed from by such criss

crossed effects . H appy

the woman who haS soN°° 47 shapely a back she can

afford to allow her waist to fit

smoothly and plainly,unbroken by

any conspicuous l ines . I f bands

must be used to remedy the de

fic ienc ies of ungenerous Nature,

let them be at the neck and waist

and if the back is unconscionably

long,a band, or fo ld , or ruffle


across the shou lders is to be com

mended.

NO . 48 reveals a glaring error

frequently made by the thin sister

hood. A tall,slender woman with

a long waist,should not emphasize

her length o f l ines by wearing

pointed or V—shaped effects. The

V-shaped arrangement,either in

cut or trImm Ings, apparently in

creases her “ longness and lean

ness . ” She should aim to shorten

her waist instead of lengthening it

as the basque fin ished with a po int

obviously does . The drooping

sleeves elongate her shoulder-l ines,

and bring into clearer rel ief her

meagre proport ions . She can eas

i ly improve her appearance by

NO . 48


adopting either style of gown por

trayed by Nos . 49 , or 50 . The

broad belt at the waist

l ine in No . 49 , and the

flamboyant laceo rbraid

ed piece that adorns the

sh o u l d e rs,perceptibly

adds to her breadth and

decreases her length .

No . 50 is a fel ic itous”0 . 4°

cut for a street dress for

a slim s ister. The jaunty

bloused waist smartly

conceals defic iencies in

fine points.

The tall,th in s ister

h o o d sh o u l d e s ch ew

No . so p o i n t e d e ff e c t s an d

study to attain apparent breadth

PLUMP AND THIN BACKS 75

by using trimmings arranged hori

zontally. Bands of velvet,braid in

waved l ines,ruffles

,

and no t too deeply

cut scallops,may be

used e ff e c t i v e l y by

the very slender,who

sometimes appear as

i f they are “ without 5 ‘

form and void,as the earth was

“ i n the beginn ing.

”

NO . 5 1 is an exposit ion of the

mistake made by the sturdy sister

hood o f stout and pendulous pro

portions . I t i s plain to be seen

that the fluffy ruche at the throat

band,and the ruffle at the shou lder,

and the spreading bow at the waist,

and the trimmed sleeves,add bulk


iness to a form already too gener

ously endowed with flabby rotundity. Corpulent women must forego

No . 52 NO . 53

the swagger l ittle basques or any

sort of short,flounced effects below

the waist-l ine.

Nos . 5 2 and 53 are eminently

adapted to the matron O f ample

dimens ions . One Observer of

beauty-giving effects has not un


fortable impression % there is too

much in a smal l space. Very l ight

colors and th in textures that b illow

and float should be eschewed by

the large,

fleshy woman who w ishes

to give the impression that she

possesses the l ines O f a finely mod

elled statue . She Should avoid

puffs and any suggest ion of the

pulpy and clumsy,and be careful

not to sub-divide the body of her

dress by plaits or braids laid on

horizontally across or above the

bust,or below the h ips. H orizon

tal l ines invariably decrease the

height % for that reason stout wo

men should not wear dresses cut

square in the neck,but should ad

here to the graceful V or heart


shaped cut which has a tendency

to give length .

The rotund woman with a short

No. 54 No . 55

waist,sketched in No . 54, may im

prove her figure , as shown in NO .

55 , by choosing belts and collars

the exact shade of her sh irt-waists

in summer, and by not cutt ing o ff

her he ight by any sort of outs ide

belt on winter gowns .

Tall,stout women should forego


high heels on their shoes,high hats

,

and striped dresses . Although

stripes increase the effect of height,

No . 56

they also add to that of breadth .

A plain cloth basque and skirt of

striped material make a happy

compromise and can be worn with

becoming effect by a stout woman .

PLUMP AND TH IN BACKS 8 1

A basque cut h igh behind and on

the shou lders apparently gives

height.

A very stout woman should never

wear double skirts or tun ics or

dresses with large sprawl ing pat

terns,such as depicted by cut No .

56 , wh ich suggests furn iture stuffs .

A large woman who had a fancy

for wearing rich brocades figured

with immense floral des igns was

fami l iarly called by her kind fr i ends“ the escaped sofa.

”

Wh ite,or very l ight colors

,should

never be worn by the stout % they

greatly increase the apparent s ize .

Large plaids shou ld also be es

chewed . Smal l checks and plaids

Ina%%somet imes be becoming.


Ne ither the too thin nor the too

stout should adopt a style of gown

that caricatures the form as does

Nos. 5 7 AND 58

the voluminous wrapper,

fin ished

with a box-pleat,as shown in No .

5 7. There is no grace in straight

l ines. No . 58, which accentuates


the height of the over-tall,thin

woman,is better adapted to en

hance the charms of a woman of

finer proportions . The bony and

scrawny,of the type of NO . 58 , seem

to have a perverse des i re to wear

what makes their poverty in physi

cal charms only more conspicuous .

A woman of d istmct ion i n Boston,

who is exceedingly thin and tall,

wore Watteau pleats so frequently,

even on reception and evening

gowns that She was dubbed by a

wag “ the fire-escape,a t itle which

so strikingly characterized her style ,that the term was adopted by al l

her friends when they exchanged

confidences concern ing her.

The garment with the Watteau


pleat is not unl ike the princesse

gown which is a very trying style

except to handsomely pro

port ioned women . A tall,

we ll -d ev e l op e d woman,

such as shown in sketch

No . 59 ,adorns the prin

cesse gown and attains in

it a statuesque beauty. I n

suggesting statuary it ful

fils the true ideal of dress,

which should hint of poe

The mass ing of colors,

the arrangement of

l ines,the qual ity of

textures,the grace

and poise of the wearer—do not

these h int of p icture,statue

,music ?


Women are indebted to that gen

tle gen ius,La Duse

,for the sug

gestion that a veiled throat and

bust may charmingly fulfi l the re

quirements of evening dress,and

also satisfy that sense of del icacy

pecul iar to some women who have

not inherited from their great-great

grandmothers the certain knowl

edge that a low-necked gown is

absolutely decorous .

The woman who does not pos

sess del icate personal charms com

mends herself to the beauty-loving

by forbearing to expose her phys i

cal deficiencies . Unless it is be

cause they are enslaved by custom,

i t is qu ite incomprehens ible why

some women will glaringly display

CORSAGES 87

gaunt proportions that s ignal ly

lack the exquis ite l ines of firm and

sol id flesh .

A throat l ike a ten-stringed

instrument,surmounting square

shoulders that end in knobs that

obtrude above unfilled hollows,is

an unpleasing vis ion that looms up

consp icuously too often in opera

box and drawing-room.

The unattractive exh ib it ion of

shoulders,p ictured in NO . 6 1 , is a

famil iar s ight in the social world .

H ow insufferably ugly such uncov

ered anatomy appears in the scen

ery of a r ich and dainty mus ic

room may be readi ly imagined by

those who have been spared the

unpleas ing display. I t is so obvi


ous that shoulders l ike these should

always be covered that it seems

superfluous to remark that th is

type should never wear any sleeve

that falls below the shoulder-l ine.

The sleeve fall ing

O ff the shoulder was

invented for the clas

s ic contour,set forth

in NO . 62 . Nor rib

bons,nor lace

,nor

j ewel are needed to

enhance the perfect

beauty of a fine,slen

der,white throat

,and

the fel ic itous curvesNO. 62

of sloping shoulders .

One whose individual endow

ments are as meagre as are those


shoulders are covered,and just

enough individual robustness is

disclosed to suggest with becoming

propriety the conventional decol

lete corsage. The Princess of

NO . 63

Wales is as constant to her velvet

or pearl neck-band,as to her espe

c ialstyle of co iffure . H er throat,i n

evening dress,never appears un

adorned by one or the other of

CORSAGE S 9 1

these beauti ful bands that so clev

erly conceal defects and seem to

bring out more richly the texture

and coloring o f handsome bare

shoulders .

Those who do not approve of

the d%collet% style of dress,or whose

ungracefu l proportions might wel l

be entirely concealed,can wear

with appropriateness and benefi t

the corsage shown in No . 64.

This has much in its favor for a

slender body. The upper part of

the waist may be made of chiffon

or crepe,which is beautifu l ly— one

might say ben ignly— translucent.

I t has an insinuating transparency

that neither reveals nor conceals

too much . The neck-band of velvet


or satin,full and soft

,apparently

enlarges the throat. The sleeves

may be in whatever style in cut

prevails . This costume carries

perfectly into effect the requ ire

ments of even ing dress,and may

be worn with equal fitness to

formal functions or to informal

affairs . A coat - sleeve of lace,

crepe,or chi ffon

,beflounced at

the wrist,may be inserted under

the short satin sleeves when the

occasion does not requ ire gloves .

The soft,white setting o f th in tex

tures around the throat and Shoul

ders Clears the complex ion and

brings into rel ief the pretty,del icate

l ines o f a refined face.

I t is plain to be seen that the un

94 \VHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

narrow shoulders have a con

sumpt ive droop . The angular cut

apparently heightens the shoulders

and decreases their too steeple

l ike incl ination . The round cut,

if i t frames a full throat,is also

an effective style for sloping

shoulders . The V-shaped cut is

most becoming to the short-necked

woman,whose aim should be to

increase the length of her throat .

I t is not only the too th in

neck that needs to be clothed

w i th discrimination . Throats and

shoulders that are too robust are

improved by being covered . The

arms and shoulders , however, are

often the chief beauty of a fleshy

woman,and it is to her advantage

CORSAGE S 95

to give them as effect ive a sett ing

as possible .

As is obv ious in NO . 67, the

stout woman apparently increases

her breadth by wearing a flam

boyant corsage , and she h ides the

most exqu is ite l ines of her arm with

her sleeves.

The princesse style of gown,i n

No . 68,gives her apparent length

NO . 69

NO . 70


of waist. The modest lace flounce

that falls in vertical folds decreases

her formidable corsage. The knot

ted twist o f s i lk reveals the full

beauty of her arm.

I n dress ing the throat there are

a few rules to be remembered. A

too long,stem-l ike neck may be

apparently shortened by a stand

ing ruff or a full,soft band of

velvet. The tight,plain band of

velvet should never be worn by

a woman with a very sl im neck,

as is plainly discern ible in sketch

NO . 69 .

The plain,mil itary collar empha

sizes the thinness o f the slender

woman ’s throat % but the soft

crushed fold of velvet apparently

98 WHAT DRESS MAKES OF Us

full,sweet throat of healthfu l youth .

NO regretful vanity should be al

lowed to glamour their eyes to the

fact that Time has them by the

throat , to put it melodramat ically.

The wise woman will not please

herself with a fatal delusion . She

w il l real ize it is i llus ion she needs

yards of it— lace or velvet,or any

beautifying texture that will con

ceal the deadly l ines of age.

CHAPTER VI .

HINTS ON DRESS FOR ELDERLYWOMEN.

RESS has much to do w ith a

youthful or aged appearance.

Shawls and long mantles that fall

from the shoulders give even youth

ful figures a look of age,because

the l ines are long and d ign ified

and w ithout espec ial grace. Beaut i

ful wraps,or coats that do not

come very far below the h ip-l ine ,can be worn becom ingly by elderly

99

I OO WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

ladies,neither emphasiz ing their

years nor making them appear too

frivolously attired. There is a

smack of truth in the maxim,As

a woman grows ola’Me a’ress mate

r ial saoula’ increase in rz

'

efiaess ana’

decrease in origamess. H andsome

brocades,soft

,elegant s i lks

,woo l

len textures,and velvets are emi

uently su itable and becoming to

women who are growing Old .

Black,and black-and-white

,soft

white chi ffon veiled in lace,cash

meres,and such refined tissues

should be selected by those in“the first wrinkles O f youth .

”

Grays combined with fi lmy white

material,dull bronzes l ightened

with cream - t inted lace,are also


wear diamonds. The dazzl ing

white gems with p iti less bril l iancy

bring out the pasty look of the skin .

The soft glow o f pearls,the cloud

l ike effects of the opal,the unob

trusive l ights of the moonstone

harmonize with the tints of hai r

and skin of the aged.

E lderly women should not wear

bright flowers on their bonnets or

hats . Fresh-looking roses above a

face that has lost its first youthful

ness only make that fact more

Obvious. Forget-me-nots,mignon

ettes,certai n pretty white flowers

,

the palest of p ink roses,or the

most del icate t int of yellow veiled

with lace are not inappropr iate

for those who do not enjoy wear

DRE SS FOR ELDERLY WOMEN 103

ing sombre bonnets and hats

which are composed only of rich,

black textures . Lace cleverly in

termingled with velvet and j ewelled

ornaments O f dull,rich shades are

exceedingly effect ive on the head

gear o f the old .

Those who are gray-ha ired

and indeed al l women as they grow

old— should wear red above their

brows instead of under their ch ins.

A glint of rich cardinal velvet,or a

rosette Of the same against gray

hair is beautifu l .

Lace % Lace % Lace % and stil l

more lace for the old. Lace is an

essential lo ine dress of a woman

more Man f arly years of age.

Jabots , ruches , yokes , cascades,


vests,and gowns of lace

,black or

white,are all for the Old . R ich

lace has an exqu is i tely softening

e ffect on the complexion . Thin

women w i th necks that look l ike

the strings of a viol in should

swathe,smother

,decorate

,and

adorn their throats with lace or

gossamer fabrics that have the

same qual ity as lace . These airy

textures,i n which l ight and shadow

can so beauti fully shift,subdue

roughnesses of the skin and harsh

ness in l ines . O ld Dame Nature

is the prime teacher of these be

witching art ifices. Note her fine

effects with mists and cobwebs,

with lace-l ike moss on sturdy Old

oaks,the bloom on the peach and

I o 6 WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US

with a thin,pipe-stem neck should

adopt a full ruche and fluffy,soft

collar-bands. I cannot forbear

repeating that tulle as l ight as

th istle bubbles,either white or gray

or black,is exqu is i tely effect ive for

thin,scrawny necks . The fleshy

,

red neck should be softened with

powder and discreetly veiled in

chemisettes of chiffon and del icate

net.

O ld ladies may keep in the style,

thus being in the picture of the

hour % but it is one of the divine

privileges of age that it can make

its own modes . Absolute cleanli

ness,cleanl iness as exacting as that

proper nurses prescribe for babies,

is the first and most important fac

DRESS FOR ELDERLY WOMEN 107

tor in making old age attract ive.

Rich dress,in art ist ic colors

,soft

,

m isty,esthetic

,comes next % then

the ideal iz ing scarfs,collars

,j abots

,

and fichus o f lace and tulles. O ld

people becomingly and art ist ically

attired have the charm o f rare Old

pictures . I f they have soul-illum

ined faces they are precious mas

terp ieces.

CHAPTER V I I .

HOW MEN CARICATURE THEMSELVE S

WITH THE IR CLOTHE S .

LTHOUGH i n the dress of

man there are fewer poss ib il i

t ies Of caricature than in that of

woman,yet

,

“ the masterpieces of

creation frequently exaggerate

in a laughable—and sometimes a

pitiable—way,certain physical

characterist ics by an injudic ious

cho ice O f clothes.I o8

I I O WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US

Far be it from me,however

,to

rem ind man of h is many l im ita

t ions—in dress. That he can

never know the rapture o f donn ing

a becom ing spring bonnet,nor

the pleasure of possess ing real

lace th ings,nor the sensuous

charm o f be ing enwrapped in ca

ress ing furs, or sleazy, si lken gar

ments as exquis ite in color and

texture as beaut iful,fresh flowers

,

only del icate consideration for h is

feel ings constrains me from expa

t iating upon at length .

I would rather be able to remind

h im that he can make his l imita

t ions h is advantages , than reveal

to h im what he misses in not being

a woman .

CARICATURES I

To treat of th is important sub

ject adequately and convincingly,one would requ ire the masterly

discernment of a skillful and accom

plished tai lor,the experienced

knowledge O f a wel l-dressed man,

and the alertly crit ical percept ion

of a loving woman who,even in the

matter of clothes , wishes the dear

est o f men to her, to do full j ust ice

to himself and her ideal o f h im on

al l occasions .

Although certain o f the fo rego

ing qual ificat ions must needs be

lacking,nevertheless th is t imo rous

pen,w ith mo re trepidat ion than

courage it must be confessed , begs

to call attent ion to a few Obv ious

details in mascul ine att i re that car

I I 2 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

icature , more or less , pecul iarit ies

in the fo rms and features of

men .

To be sure,in thematter o f head

gear man is not consp icuously at

the mercy o f burlesqu ing ribbons,

flowers,and feathers

,and he has

fewer Opportun ities than women

to make himself ridiculous , yet a

few suggestions regarding certa in

shapes of head-gear for certain

types of faces,appl icable to women

are equal ly appl i cable to him.

The same rule that appl ies to

the woman of the wedge-shaped

type o f face appl ies to the man o f

the wedge-shaped type,as may be

seen in sketches Nos. 75 and 76.

I t is Obvious that the youth de

NO . 77

NO. 78


as prominent as does the st iff derby,

i n No . 77.

A soft alpine hat,or one some

what o f the style of No . 78 , improves

his appearance. The high crown

and wide,gracefully roll ing brim

counter-balance the weight and

prominence of the j aw.

Apropos of the minor details of

man ’s garments,the button as a

feature of clothes has never been

fully done just ice to . I t is a sus

tain ing thing we know,someth ing

we can hang to,fasten to

,and even

tie to . That properly placed but

tons contribute to our mental po ise

and therefore to our physical re

pose,is hinted in that absurdly

engaging story,anent the smart

CARICATURE S 1 I 5

boy who was the envy of h is spell

ing-class,because he always stood

first. You remember,no doubt

,

that an env ious but keen-eyed class

mate Observed that the smart speller

worked O ff h is nervous apprehen

s iveness by twirl ing the top button

of his coat as he correctly spelled

word after word,day in and day

out % and how the keen-eyed one

played the part of a stealthy villain

and surrept it iously cut the button

o ff the coat. And do you remem

ber the dramat ic ending ? H ow

the smart one on the fatal day

sought to press the button and

find ing it gone,lost h is wits com

pletely and failed ignominously ?

Many O f us when we have lost a

No . 79

1 1 6 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF Us

sustain ing button,have we not felt

as ridiculously helpless and W it

benumbed as the smart speller ?

We all sub—consciously acknowl

edge Our dependence upon but

tons,but not many of us

,evidently

,

have observed that even buttons

have a certain possibil ity of carica

ture in them % and that they may

add to,or detract from

,the ap

pearance O f manly forms . The

consideration of properly placed

buttons may seem trivial to you,

but if you will Observe sketches

Nos . 79 and 80 ,you may discern

that a thin man may apparently

increase his breadth and add a cer

tain manly touch to h is figure,by

changing the buttons at the wa ist

1 1 8 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

to meet them,they give the illusion

of better and more desirable pro

port ions,as may be seen in No .

82 .

NO . 81 NO. 82

That the thin man may also pre

sent a more imposing and broader

front to the world,i s suggested in

sketches Nos . 83 and 84. The con

t racted look of the coat in No . 83

CARICATURES 1 19

is somewhat due to the buttons

of his double-breasted coat being

placed too closely together. The

No. 83 No . 84

slender man who w ishes to give

the impress ion o f be ing broad

chested may have the buttons on

h is coat placed a l i ttle farther

No. 85

1 20 WHAT DRE SS MAKES OF US

apart than fashion may allow,as

shown in sketch 84. The propor

t ions may be eas i ly preserved by a

careful adjustment of the shoulder

seams and the seams under the

arms.

The waist-l ine is not so much

a danger l ine ” to man as to wo ~

man,yet man should not wholly

ignore his equator. I f he is long

waisted he can apparently balance

h is proportions by having his skirt

shortened,as in NO . 85 , and his

waist-l ine raised the merest bit.

I f he is too short-waisted he can

lengthen his skirt and lower h is

waist-l ine,as shown in NO . 86. I n

the one he escapes appearing too

long and lanky in body,and in the

1 2 2 WHAT DRESS MAKES OF US

and adjustments to make. The

improvement in appearance and

gain in height is p ictured in sketch

88. The coat being shorter and

the waist of the trousers being

raised a trifle,the man ’s l imbs seem

longer,which is an improvement.

Long l ines tend to give elegance

and grace in bearing. Another

th ing for the too robust type of

man to consider is the style of his

trousers . NO . 87 hints what he

must not choose. Such brazen

pla ids only make him appear offen

sively aggressive in s ize. Long,

fine l ines,such as Shown in No . 88

,

give an impression o f length and

apparently lessen the width .

Too long l ines,however

,are

CARICATURES 1 23

almost as undes irable as too short

ones. Over-tall,th in men some

times make themselves look l ike

telegraph poles or flagstaffs by

wearing short coats that expose in

a graceless way the whole length

of their l imbs . They suggest cranes

and other fowl that give the im

press ion of be ing “ al l legs .

”

When the legs are proportioned

more l ike a st ick of macaron i or

a lead penc il than the shapely

l imbs of an Adonis,they appear ex

ceed ingly funny when surmounted

by a short coat,such as pictured in

NO . 89 . A famous general i n the

C ivi l War did not desp ise cotton as

a fortification to protect h im from

the onslaught of the enemy. The

No. 88

1 24 WHAT DRESS MAKE S OF US

over-tall,thin man

,who is not un

suggest ive of a picket,should not

be ashamed to fortify himself with

cotton or any other sort of padding

that intell igent tailors keep in

stock. H e Should bu ild his shoul

ders up a bit and be generally,but

most carefully and artist ically,en

larged . H is coat should be

lengthened,as in sketch 90 ,

to cut

O ff just as much O f the longness of

l imb as can poss ibly be allowed

without destroying artist ic pro

portions. The very tall,thin man

who unthinkingly wears a very

short coat should be brave and

never turn his back to his enemy.

I f he wears black and white check

trousers and a short blue coat,he


huge dimensions should not wear

a short coat,such as shown in

sketch NO . 9 1 , yet his type is too

frequently seen attired in this style.

A man so dressed certainly seems

the l iving exemplificat io n of the

definition of a jug,namely

,

“ a

vesse l usually w ith a swell ing belly,

narrow mouth and a handle,for

ho lding l iquors . I t cannot be re

iterated too often that a large,stout

man should aim to acquire the

distinction and dignity given by

long l ines . I f his body is pro

port ioned SO he really has neither

length of torso nor of l imb he must

pay more attention to the cut of his

clothes and attain length in what

ever art istic way he can . The

CARICATURES 1 2 7

long coat,as may be seen in sketch

NO . 9 2 , not only apparently adds

length but it con

ceals too protuberant

curves.

Of course,charac

ter Counts for more

than clothes,we will

all agree to that,but

at first glance it is aNOS. 9. AND 92

man ’s clothes that impress people.

Clothes affect our behavior some

what. For instance,

“ When the

young European emigrant,after a

summer’s labor puts on for the first

t ime a new coat,he puts on much

more. His good and becoming

clothes put h im on th inking that he

must behave l ike peop le who are


so dressed and silently and steadily

his behavior mends . O f course,

there is an upl i ft ing truth in George

H erbert ’s maxim,This coat with

my discretion will be brave,

” yet,I

am incl ined to think that the ma

jo rity of men who will stop to con

s ider will agree with Emerson,who

says,I f a man has not firm nerves

and has keen sens ib il i ty,i t is per

haps a wise economy to go to a

good shop and dress h imself i rre

pro achably. H e can then dismiss

all care from his mind,and may

easily find that performance an ad

dit ion of confidence,a fortification

that turns the scale in social en

counters,and allows him to go

gayly into conversations where else


who said %“ A man is received ac

cording to his appearance,and dis

missed according to his merits .

”

There is a bit of truth in this we

would all admit,I have no doubt

,

if we studied the question . Clothes

affect our own poise,ease

,and atti

tude toward others and the expres

s ion O f others toward us,but

,after

all,we rely upon the man or woman

instead of upon the impression we

receive from the clothes. The gar

ments,after we have noticed them

in a superficial way,are ch iefly

interesting to us,because they are

arch-betrayers of the physical and

mental poise of the man . NO mat

ter what the cut of the cloth,no

matter what cacnez‘ of a fash ionable

CARICATURES I 3 1

tailor a su it may have,or what

its richness of material,the att i

tude “ a la decadence ” of NO . 93

wou ld make the best clothes in

Christendom look shabby and un

attract ive .

Th is too fam il iar carriage of the

American man makes one wish to

have the power to reverse the faces

as Dante did those o f the false

prophets,so those who stand a la

decadence ” might see what rid icu

lous figures they cut in drawing

room and street. The curved backs

and rounded-out Shou lders would

make fair-looking chests,and the

flat chests would represent respect

able-looking backs .

A man owes it to the spiri t

No. 94

1 3 2 WHAT DRE SS MAKE S OF US

within him not to stand or walk in

such an attitude. H e should brace

up and keep bracing up pers istently,

unremittently,until he attains a

more manly bearing.

The who l ly al ive fellow pictured

in sketch NO . 94 would make

homespun look elegant. H is chest

is forward . H e does not sag in

front at the waist,protruding his

abdomen in not only an inartistic,

but an unhealthy manner % but he

strides masterfully forward with an

air of inspiriting al iveness . ” The

perfect poise of his attitude is not

unsuggestive O f the Apollo Belve

dere— the model for all men— a

picture of which every college boy

should have to place beside the

what dress makes of us

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